Discrimination experienced by ‘third-country national’ women working in Malta

Abstract

‘Third-country national’ (TCN) women in the EU tend to experience discrimination both as women and as migrants, in the workplace and in the ‘receiving’ society. This article focuses on a recurring cluster of issues that emerged around the theme of discrimination, over the course of 19 interviews with ‘third-country national’ women from South Asian countries working in Malta. More specifically, the study explores situatedness and lived experience through an intersectional feminist approach, taking into account the individual socioeconomic conditions as well as aspects such as gender, nationality, religion, culture, educational level, and the occupation of the informants. The data was analysed using thematic analysis and led to the emergence of four key themes relating to discrimination, which proved to be interlinked: the relationship between intersecting factors; everyday discrimination; discriminatory procedures at the local and EU level; and sexual harassment. We found that workplace discrimination and broader social discriminatory practices often co-occur and are mutually reinforcing, while having an effect on the individual’s general quality of life and personal well-being. Such discrimination also interlinks with practices, power structures, and perceptions at transnational, EU, national, organisational, and local social levels.